The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-04-29

IN q recent sermon at the Brooklyn Tab
ernacle. Rev. 7. Dewitt Talmaye chose FOR
his subject a inquiry into tho moral Of.
feet Of secret societies.
His text was:
Discover not . secret to snother-Prov.,
x1v.,a
In other words, secret societies, like in.
dividuals, are good or bad, are tho means
Of moral health or temporal and eternal
damnation. All good people recognize the
vice Of slandering an individual, but
many do not SEQ the sin Of slsnderirg an
organization.
There are old secret societies in this
and other countries, some Of them centu-
ries old, which have been widely de-
nouncca - immoral and damaging in
their influence, vet have hundreds of per-
sonal friends who belong to them-friends
who are consecratei to God, pillars in
the church, faithful in all relations Of life.
examples of virtue and pisty. They are
the kind Of friend, whom I would have
for my executors if l am so happy As to
leave s1y thing for my household at the
tina of decease. and they are the men
whom I would have to carry me
dead. You can not make me be
lieve that they would belong to bad in
stitutions. They are the men who would
stamp on any thing Ubiquitous, and l
would certainly rather take their test
mony in regard TO such societies than the
testimony of those who. having been
sworn in as members. by their assault
upon the society, confess themselves per-
| 1urers.
One of these secret societies gave for
the relief of the sick in 1873. in this coun-
try, sl.t9) 21i Some of the societies have
| poured very Heaven Of sunshine and
behedictiou into the home of suffering
Several Of them are founded on fidelity to
good citizenship and the Bible. I have
never taken one Of their degrees. They
might give me the grip a thousand times,
and would not recognize It am ignor-
| ant Of their passwords. and must judg
/ entirely from the outside. But Christ has
given US a rule by which we may Judge
not only all individu a.s, but all societies,
secret and open.
By their fruits ye shall know them.
Bad societies make bad men. Good So
cietics make good mon. A bad man will
not stay in cool society. good man
will not stay in bad society. Then try
! all secret societies by two or three rules
| Test the first: Their inf uence on home
| II you have home. That wife soon loses
! her influence over her husband who nerv-
| cusly and foolishly looks upon all evening
absence rs an assault on domesticity. How
are the great enterprises Of reform, and
art, and literature, and beIefcenca and
| public veal TO be carried on il every man
| is to have his world bounded on one side
by his front doorstep, and on the other
| side by his back window, knowing moth.
| ing higher than his own attic or lower
than his own cellari That wife who be-
| comes jealous of her husbands attention
to art or literature or reli ,iol or charity
is breaking her own sceptcr Of coniugal
power.
I know an instance where a wife
though that her husband was giving too
many nights to Christian service, to char
table service, to praycr-rne etinss, AMI to
religious couvocation. She systematically
decoved him away until now he attends no
church. waits upon no charite BILE institu-
ton. and is on a rapid way to destruction.
his morals gone, hIs money gone, and I
fear his soul gone LIST any Christian wife
rejoice when her husband cousecrates
evenings to the service OF humanity, and
of God, or charity, or arr or any thing ele-
Y; ting.
But let no man sacrifice homo life to Sc
cret society life. as many do. l can point
out TO you great many names of men
who sre guilty of this sacrilcge. They
are as genial as angels at the society
room, and as ugly as sin at home. They
are generous on all subjects OF wine sup
pers, yachts and fast horses. but they
are stIugy about the wives dresses and
the ch;'dren's shoes. That man ha, made
that which might be healthful infu.
eace usurper OF his affections, and he
has married it, aud he is guilty of moral
biCamy. Under this process the wife.
whatever her features, becomes uuintcr-
cstinC and homelv. he bee mes critical
of her. does not Ike the dress, does not
like the way she arranges her hair, is
amazed that he ever was so unromautic
as to offer her hand and heart
There are secret so ,eties where mem
bership always Involves domestic ship
wreck. Tel me that a man has joined
certain kind. and tell me nothing more
about him Cor ten years. and will write
his history if be be still alive The man
is wine guzzicr, his wife broken-hesrted
or premsturely Old, his fortune gon. o.
a
directory. Here are six secular nights in
the week.
What shall do with .henw saws the
father and the husband. Il Will give four
of these nights 10 tho improvem mt and
entertainment OF my family, either at
home or IN good ueighborhooi. / will de-
vote one TO charitable institutions. will
devote one to my lotgs-'
congratulate you. Here is a man who
saws:
''Out Of the six secular nights Of the
week will devote Ave 20 lodges and clubs
aud associations aud one to the home,
which night I will spend in scowling like
\ March sQuall, wishing I was out spend
ing it as have spent the other fivo"
Tha. mans obituary is written. Not
enc out Of I0,GO) tina: ever gets so far on
the wrong road ever stops. Gradually his
health will fail through late hours, a nd
through too much stimuiaats he will be
frst-rate prey for crysipeIas and
rheumatism Of the heart. The doctor
coming in will at glance see it is not
only present disease he must fglt, but
years OF fast living The clergyman, for
the sake of the feelings Of the family. on
the funeral day. will talk in religious
ceuerslities. Tho mea who got
his yacht in the eternal rapids
will not be at the obsequies. They nave
engagements that day. They
will send flowers to the cotiu: will send |
their wives to utter words of sympathy, F.!
but they will have engagements else |
where. They never come. Bring me
msllet aci caisel, and ! will cut on the |
tombstone that mans epitaph:
Blessed are the dead who died in the Lord
NO." you say; that would not be sp- |
p-opriate-"
lie, me die the death Of the righteous, and |
let my last end be like his. |